Thousands of Stranded Livestock on Ship Off Western Australia to Be Offloaded

Approximately 16,500 sheep and cattle stranded on the MV Bahijah, a ship off Western Australia, for almost a month due to a heatwave and Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea will be offloaded. The vessel, initially bound for the Middle East, was ordered to return to Australian waters. The animals will be disembarked, and some are expected to be re-exported, while the exporter has applied to unload certain animals before considering re-exporting the rest. Animal welfare concerns have been raised about the plan to continue the journey for some of the animals, given the challenging conditions they have already endured.

The Australian Alliance for Animals expressed concern about the potential new voyage, which would take approximately 33 days to circumnavigate the African continent to access Jordan via the Suez Canal, avoiding the Middle East conflict zone. The animals have already been at sea for 27 days, enduring harsh conditions and tight quarters. The situation has raised questions about the planning and handling of the animals' return and re-exportation by Australian authorities.

The federal government's decision to return the ship to Australia has prompted criticism, with concerns about the lack of a clear plan and potential logistical challenges in finding suitable locations for the offloaded animals.